It is known to use liquid crystal devices as radiation modulation elements in printing devices, as signal reading devices, signal converting devices, radiation signal switches, devices for adjusting the quantity of radiation, or as radiation valves. U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,062 describes a high speed liquid crystal printer for silver halide prints, in which high speed switching is achieved by the phenomenon of dielectric relaxation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,376 describes a high speed liquid crystal printer for silver halide prints in which a ferroelectric liquid crystal is driven by a series of 4 electrical signals to improve contrast. U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,760 describes a silver halide printer in which a liquid crystal cell is equipped with optical fibers oriented to provide increased contrast of the signal. U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,972 describes a liquid crystal printer for silver halide prints in which a pulse width modulation driving scheme is used to achieve accurate tone scale.
Radiation thermal transfer of dyes to produce a color filter array is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,410. An intense flash of radiation is modulated by a reflective chrome mask with clear openings where dye transfer is desired. The radiation is absorbed by a colorant donor sheet containing a radiation absorber along with the dye. The heat generated by the absorption of radiation causes the dye to transfer, presumably by sublimation, from the donor sheet to a receiver. No processing or development of the dye image is needed in thermal dye transfer, unlike silver halide photographic imaging.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,444 describes a thermal dye transfer printing element in which an image mask is created by an electrographic or photothermographic means, following which a radiation flash is used to thermally transfer dye to a receiver in un-masked image areas. The creation of such image masks is, in general, slow and cumbersome.